


love on top

by sapphicsandseblos (solange_lol)



Series: snippets [4]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post canon, Seblos, Takes Place In S2, but we already knew that lol, canon complient, carlos is a dancer, lil bit of carlos angst, seb is lumiere as he should be, this is ooc sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27502813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solange_lol/pseuds/sapphicsandseblos
Summary: In the end, Carlos knew they would pull it together, that the cast would tighten back up the faster that opening night approached, but did it have to involve him suffering through the slow stages all alone for them to get to that point?At least for now he could let go of his day and just dance.
Relationships: Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Series: snippets [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843180
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	love on top

**Author's Note:**

> title from beyonce ofc

When Carlos got to the studio that day, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

Rehearsals for  _ Beauty and the Beast _ had been particularly rough, especially today. With Nini gone, it left Ricky and Kourtney moping and noncompliant. Meanwhile, Gina was still around and staying at Ashlyn’s house, but she had become distant without her mom around. Not to mention that even after  _ High School Musical, _ it was clear there was still some divide between him and the cast. It was hard to get their attention, and if Miss Jenn wasn’t around to supervise choreography rehearsals, they hardly listened to him anyway. He had been hoping after the success of their fall show that his position even as an underclassman would have earned him some respect when it came to the show, but shortly after rehearsals for their spring musical, he was crushed with the reality that everything was exactly the same.

Realistically, Carlos knew he could do something about it. He could talk to Miss Jenn and ask her to be there more often, as when she was around, it was easier to get things done. He could talk to his classmates outside of class and try and hint at them that he needed just a  _ little _ more support when it came to his choreography. 

Or he could just  _ stand up for himself like a normal person.  _

Somehow, though, Carlos couldn’t find the courage in him to do that yet. After the forest of boys incident from their fall show, it was going to be a little while before he was ready to stand up for himself like that. The way the entire room turned on him over in a matter of minutes was not something he was looking to experience again.

At least there was Seb. His wonderful, innocently kind boyfriend who always offered to let Carlos vent to him about how he wasn’t taken seriously by the cast. Seb was doing his best to stand up for Carlos as well considering people seemed to listen to him more often. Unfortunately, as much as Carlos appreciates his efforts, it seems as if the rest of the cast isn’t too interested in changing their dynamic anytime soon.

Rehearsal had ended early once again after Miss Jenn had to duck out early for some other emergency, and everyone else seemed to take it as a sign that they could stop too. While he understood the stress of what was going on right now: Nini not being around, prom, SATs, and other standardized testing, as well as the everyday stress of a high school student, it hurt to see everyone not always putting in the same amount of effort that he was. In the end, Carlos knew they would pull it together, that the cast would tighten back up the faster that opening night approached, but did it have to involve him suffering through the slow stages all alone for them to get to that point?

At least for now he could let go of his day and just dance. It always worked well as a creative outlet to be able to just drop his bag (as well as all of his  _ figurative _ baggage) and forget himself for an hour and half class. He had to adjust his schedule so he wasn’t overwhelmed with dance classes, homework, and rehearsals all in one night. The nights he was able to make classes, though, it was practically therapy. 

It was nice to not be in charge for a little while. He loved choreographing, of course, otherwise, he never would have stuck with the show, but that love stemmed from his love for dance as a whole. His entire dance career could be traced back to this studio.

Once the class ends, Carlos takes a little extra time to pack up. His class was the last of the night, meaning that the room would clear out. Luckily, he had an understanding with his incredible dance teacher, who would immediately understand that he wanted to rehearse alone for a while and leave him to his own devices.

Once the room is empty, Carlos steps to the middle of the room, taking a deep breath. He rolls back his shoulders, plugging his favorite playlist into his earbuds, and just lets himself  _ move. _

Some of the songs are musical theatre, others are just pop songs from the past few years that he’s never gotten enough of. Either way, it feels good. Nothing he has to teach, nothing he has to create to set a scene, just  _ dance. _ He finishes out the last of the song with a messy turn and his arms in the air like a gymnast. It’s nothing he would ever do on stage, but it’s fun, which he can only get so much of right now.

“Is that a new routine? I don’t think I’ve seen that one yet,” a voice comes from the doorway, and Carlos turns to see his boyfriend leaning against one of the bars, two paper to-go cups in hand. “If that’s something for the show, I hope it’s for Gina because I don’t know if any of us are capable of that.”

Carlos grins, going to pick up his glasses which he left in his bag before walking over to Seb. He gestures to the cups he’s holding, and Seb holds one out.

“Hot chocolate,” he smiles softly. “Even professional dancers like you deserve a treat.”

“I’m far from professional,” Carlos tells him, but he takes the cup gratefully. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

“Georgie and I were picking up some stuff for the farm, and I knew you have dance on Tuesdays. Decided it was worth the risk to see if you were here.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow before taking a sip from the cup. “I guess you got lucky, then.”

Seb inches closer, and Carlos reaches behind him to put the cup on the shelf. Once he does, he lets his arm fall onto his boyfriend's shoulder. “Wanna learn a dance?”

“Still up to teach choreography after today?” Seb tilts his head, and Carlos rolls his eyes back at the reminder of rehearsal. 

“Dancing with you is different than dancing with them,” he points out vaguely, not missing the way Seb’s smile twists upwards like he can’t help it.

“Well, you have  _ maybe _ five minutes before Georgie comes to kidnap me back.”

“That’s all I need,” Carlos says, before dropping his hand to take Seb’s, pulling his boyfriend to the center of the dance studio floor. He clicks off his previous playlist, scrolling through the car playlist they had made with Georgie until he found a song. His eyes catch a song, and he presses play.

Seb laughs as “Can I Have This Dance” from  _ High School Musical 3 _ plays. “Not tired of  _ High School Musical _ yet, either, huh?”

“Not yet,” he says, then pulls Seb close to him.

They both know enough of the original choreo from the movie that they’re not completely tripping over each other, although it’s definitely not as swift as the original. It does remind Carlos of their pre-school dance rehearsals together and their night at homecoming. That’s another thing dance has done for him: brought him closer to one of the most important people in his life. 

And then again, maybe he spoke too soon because a moment later Seb’s foot catches on his ankle, and they both fall to the ground.

“So maybe five minutes isn’t enough time to learn a dance,” Seb says, rolling off of Carlos and standing up, offering a hand out to him.

He accepts it gratefully. “Still easier than trying to teach Ricky.”

Seb doesn’t let go of his hand, instead pulling him into a hug. When he pulls back, he presses his forehead to Carlos. “You’ve got this, you know that right? Your choreography is genius and if Ricky or anyone else can’t recognize that then they clearly don’t know what’s best for the show.”

Ignoring the heat traveling up his neck, Carlos just smiles. “I don’t know… personally I think the best part is our very own Lumiere.”

Seb pulls away, rolling his eyes as he grabs Carlos’s hand. “Shush. And get your stuff. I’ll get Georgie to drive you home.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this is probably very ooc (it was based on that one glee episode in s1 with rachel and jessie lmao) but its been sitting half finished in my drafts forever so i had to finish it uhh yeah :)
> 
> also heres the matthew-smith car playlist if anyone wants it: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xXKHddkneTuZDoMGhWFbR?si=p5xAb7VlSSKrcH42FTlALA
> 
> im on tumblr @klaineiac and twitter @SE3LOS !!


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